BONUS | Inside the Nannup Four police investigation

Summary

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Expanse (ABC Australia): BONUS | Inside the Nannup Four Police Investigation

Air date: April 20, 2026
Host: Dominique Bayens
Guests: Acting Detective Inspector Jessica Siucuro (Major Crime Division, WA Police), Detective Sergeant Jeremy Spivey (Missing Persons Team, WA Police), Barry McIntosh (Chantelle’s uncle, retired police officer)

Episode Overview

This bonus episode of Expanse provides an in-depth look inside the police investigation surrounding the mysterious 2007 disappearance of the "Nannup Four" from rural Western Australia: Chantelle and Leila McDougall, Simon Kadwell (aka Gary Felton), and Anthony Popich (aka Antonio Popich). Host Dominique Bayens speaks with key police figures currently overseeing the case, explores investigative theories, recounts missteps, and shares family perspectives—revealing both the complexity and the frustration underlying this enduring mystery.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Initial Investigation and Missed Opportunities

• Reporting delays:
  • The disappearance was reported late, leading to missed chances for gathering evidence such as CCTV footage and timely witness accounts.
  • “There was a delay in this report being received and the difficulties with things like that is missed opportunities.” (Spivey, 02:23)
• Proof of life checks:
  • Initial checks of financial and communication records failed to locate or trace the four, and their house was found “in a tidy state” with no major evidence.
  • No forensic search could be conducted by the time police arrived, as new tenants had already moved in.

2. Group Dynamics and Cult Allegations

• Cult-like lifestyle:
  • Witnesses described Simon Kadwell (Gary Felton) as the “leader” employing psychological isolation and coercive control over the group, especially over Chantelle.
  • “They described her relationship with him as coercive control... grooming type behaviours, psychological isolation tactics” (Siucuro, 03:42)
• Followers’ accounts:
  • Police interviews revealed Kadwell once considered a group suicide, then purportedly abandoned the idea after pushback from followers.
  • “Followers said Simon was initially planning a mass suicide for him and the group... after back and forth, he shied away from that.” (Siucuro, 14:13)

3. Last Known Movements and Evidence Review

• Tracking the four:
  • Last sightings: Felton around late June, Tony Popich and Chantelle mid-July 2007, last seen selling pets in Busselton and returning to Nannup.
  • Tony’s phone was used for travel bookings under aliases (J Roberts), with evidence he traveled from Perth to Northcliffe/Kalgoorlie.
  • “A person believed to be Tony ordered a pizza in Kings Park... the delivery driver identified him.” (Spivey, 09:03–09:18)
• Disputed leads:
  • Uncertainty remains over who actually traveled where, as ticket names may have been pseudonyms, and there’s no confirmation anyone arrived at the final bus destinations.
  • Police could not establish any direct link between the group and Northcliffe.
  • “Yeah. So unable to establish any movements or to confirm who the person was.” (Spivey, 10:29)

4. Phones, Online Footprints, and Forensics

• Device investigation:
  • Police found nothing significant on Gary Felton’s computer; did not confirm if all personal devices were recovered.
  • Felton’s online activity was not disclosed.
  • The Blue House could not be forensically examined due to delayed reporting and change in occupancy.
• Phone calls:
  • Calls to Tony were from family; calls about puppies were from known contacts. No evidence of outside involvement at the time of disappearance.

5. Suspected Drug Use and Mental Health

• Drugs:
  • Despite community and anecdotal reports, police found no evidence of illicit drug use among the four.
  • “No, we didn’t... That was a theory explored, but there was no evidence.” (Siucuro, 17:29)
• Mental state:
  • Witnesses described Kadwell as increasingly “agitated” and “withdrawn” leading up to the disappearance but there were no clinical mental health diagnoses.
  • “Other witnesses described Chantelle as being more withdrawn as well and Gary acting bizarrely.” (Siucuro, 15:26)

6. Search Efforts – Past and Present

• Initial search (2007):
  • Extensive search included 60-70 personnel and water police examining dams, but nothing was found.
  • “One was conducted from their residence... five dams were searched.” (Spivey, 18:11–18:54)
• Northcliffe search confusion:
  • A “smell of death” and found clothing by prisoners in the Northcliffe area led to a misdirected police search—coordinates were incorrect due to reliance on memory rather than records.
  • Cadaver dogs brought by family (Barry McIntosh & Peter Greaves, 2024) alerted at a spot, but police declined to formally search the area, arguing it’s outside the originally identified location.
  • “Police wouldn’t do their own search... because Barry and Peter have already looked there.” (Bayens, 22:38)

7. Family Advocacy and Frustrations

• Uncle Barry McIntosh’s efforts:
  • Retired detective, has taken personal initiative—in both investigation and funding—to track down leads ignored or missed by police.
  • “I think the investigation by the police in Western Australia was not thorough and they jumped to conclusions a bit too much. I found a lot of things that were missed.” (McIntosh, 24:36)
• Crowdfunded search (planned 2026):
  • Barry and Peter plan another search; family’s hope for closure is bittersweet due to possibility of either continuing uncertainty or devastating confirmation.
  • “Once I’ve knocked that out, I pretty much done everything I can do.” (McIntosh, 24:04)
  • “What happens if this new final search comes back without answers just like the last one?” (Bayens, 25:29)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the consequences of delay:
  “The difficulties with things like that is missed opportunities... People's recollections and other difficulties.”
  — Det. Sgt. Jeremy Spivey, 02:23

• On coercive control:
  “They described her relationship with him as coercive control, or what we would call now coercive control, essentially grooming type behaviours.”
  — Acting Det. Insp. Jessica Siucuro, 03:42

• On investigating leads:
  “There was nothing that assisted in the investigation located on his [Felton’s] computer.”
  — Det. Sgt. Spivey, 05:16

• Cadaver dog findings:
  “They don’t react to meat pies and they don’t react to dead roos, they only react to dead bodies. So he thinks it’s pretty significant.”
  — Human Remains Detection Dogs WA (as related by Bayens), 23:38

• Family’s frustration:
  “I think the investigation by the police in Western Australia was not thorough and they jumped to conclusions a bit too much. I found a lot of things that were missed.”
  — Barry McIntosh, 24:36

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• Introduction of police guests & investigation context — 00:35–01:53
• Explanation of early missed opportunities & proof of life checks — 02:23–03:33
• Cult, coercive control, and dynamic within the four — 03:42–04:41
• Forensic limitations at the Blue House — 04:41–05:34
• Handover to Homicide Squad and theories (suicide, homicide, voluntary disappearance) — 05:56–06:48
• Details on last known sightings and travel — 06:55–09:03
• Analysis of bus tickets, pizza order, and disputed movements — 09:03–11:21
• Questions about how the group traveled post-vehicle sale — 12:06–12:29
• Discussion of phone calls and possible outside involvement — 13:02–13:48
• Details from interviews with Gary Felton’s followers — 14:13–14:45
• Simon/Gary’s mental state and drug use inquiries — 15:20–17:55
• Searches in Nannup and rationale for searching (or not) Northcliffe — 18:08–22:38
• Cadaver dog evidence and police skepticism — 21:27–22:33
• Family-funded search plans and deepening frustration — 23:51–25:47

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Conclusion

This revealing episode places listeners directly in the evolving, painstaking process of a police investigation stuck between uncertainty and hope. It also highlights the emotional toll and determination of families seeking answers in the face of procedural missteps and bureaucratic limitations. The story of the Nannup Four remains shrouded in mystery, with upcoming independent searches possibly the final hope for closure—painful, but perhaps at last, definitive.

Transcript

[A]

Hi, it's Sam Hawley from ABC News Daily, the podcast that brings you one big story affecting your world each weekday in just 15 minutes.

[B]

We import our oil, but we export huge amounts of gas and the states and the federal government never ensured that we had enough gas onshore here during crisis periods like this.

[A]

Join me for ABC News Daily. Find us at on abc.

[C]

Listen.

[D]

ABC Listen.

[B]

Podcasts, radio, news, music and more.

[A]

Yep. So, my name is Acting Detective Inspector Jessica Siucuro. I'm the Divisional officer at Major Crime Division.

[B]

My name's Jeremy Spivey, Detective Sergeant attached to the missing person team of the WA Police.

[D]

I'm Dominique Baens and this is a bonus episode of the Nan up four. And it's been a really long time in the making. We reached out to police six months ago because I wanted to be able to take you inside the police investigation into the disappearance of chantelle and Leila McDougal. Simon Cadwell, aka Gary Felton, Antony Poppich, or as some people knew him, Antonio Popich. We haven't been able to make that interview happen until now. Today you're going to hear me speaking with the two officers the Nanup 4 case sits with. Now, they aren't the initial investigating officers, but they are going to open up the police files for us. Also, if you've just heard episode six, you would have heard the loose thread about whether or not another search is going to happen based on the information Peter Greaves and chantelle's uncle, Barry McIntosh unearthed. I've got some news on that later too, gorgeous. And when you're ready, I'll just get both of you kind of do a clap.

[A]

Oh, there we go.

[B]

We were all over the shop.

[D]

You're not getting a job with the Wiggles anytime. As I'm sitting down with Detective Sergeant Jeremy Spivey and Acting Detective Inspector Jessica Securo, I'm feeling a lot of pressure. This interview's been so long in the making and I really want to make sure I get everything. The police officers start off by giving me a bit of a rundown about how missing people are reported. And then we get to the four.

[B]

As per any missing person's investigation, proof of life checks are conducted and what a proof of life check is to look for footprints that someone would leave, banking records, phone records, things of that nature. And those initial checks have been unable to establish where they may be. There was a delay in this report being received and the difficulties with things like that is missed opportunities in relation to, let's say, CCTV inquiries, witness accounts, People's recollections and other difficulties that were experienced in this investigation involve the fact of multi jurisdictional investigation being the report of travelling overseas as well as eastern states and really the absence of any real evidence in the initial inquiry. And so what I mean by that is the residence they had been living in had been left in a tidy state, the notes had been left there, but there really wasn't anything else to suggest what had happened to the group.

[D]

From speaking to witnesses, what were you able to find out about the dynamic between the, I guess Simon, Chantelle and Tony?

[A]

So we were able to determine the group were living what we believe was a cult type lifestyle, where Simon, or we call him Gary Felton, was the leader of that group. So from speaking to witnesses and friends and relatives of Chantelle, they described her relationship with him as coercive control, or what we would call now coercive control, essentially grooming type behaviours, psychological isolation tactics, which adds a layer of complexity to the investigation because for two reasons. One being that this information wasn't provided to police at the time by Chantelle herself or relatives. And given the group were living this sort of isolated lifestyle, no one really knows what goes on behind the closed doors or what they're up to.

[D]

There are a few things that I've wanted to confirm. One was whether there was any forensic testing of the Blue House. Acting Detective Inspector Securo says by the time the report came in, there were new people living in the Blue House. So the forensic team couldn't make an assessment on whether there were any signs of violence. So that avenue of inquiry wasn't followed up. They weren't able to confirm whether all personal devices of the four were recovered. The two officers also say nothing of significance to the investigation was found on Gary Felton's computer.

[B]

There was nothing that assisted in the investigation located on his computer.

[D]

Does that mean that he wiped his device?

[B]

I'm not saying that, but all I can say is that it was referred to the fact that there was nothing of interest or nothing that assisted or furthered the investigation.

[D]

What about his online footprint? What were you able to find out from that?

[B]

Sorry, I can't. Yeah, can't comment on that one.

[D]

Something I've already known from the inquest is that the case was handed to a detective from the Major Crime Division to review in July 2013. That led to the Amiga investigation starting in 2014.

[A]

In this instance, the investigation was later taken on by Homicide Squad. That's not uncommon. We frequently will review each other's investigations and certainly In a case where four people, including a child, had gone missing, that's a very complex investigation, so would rely on the resources from both homicide squad and missing persons.

[D]

What were the key theories that police were working with at that stage of the investigation when it was handed over to homicide?

[A]

So there are a number of theories that police explored, whether this was a group suicide, whether it was a homicide or whether the group had managed to travel abroad, which is still, you know, many theories that we still explore.

[D]

Now, there's been a lot of questions around the four's final movements. What were police able to find out?

[B]

Mr. Felton was last sighted around the end of June and then Tony Popich and Chantelle McDougal were last sighted around mid July. So around The, I guess the 13th to the 15th of July they were had traveled to Busselton and then back in Nanup sold more pets, more dogs to a lady who travelled to the property to buy to the dogs. So that was around the 15th of July was the last sighting and then after that there has been no sightings of any of the group.

[D]

What can you tell me about Tony Popich's final movements?

[B]

So an individual has travelled to Perth using the name of J Roberts. And Mr. Poppich's phone has been used in the Perth area, so that was used to book accommodation and to order some food. And then following that movement, it appears to have travelled to a train bus depot where again, a ticket was purchased. One ticket was purchased to travel to Bunbury and then further on to Northcliff. And at the same period of time, another ticket in a similar name to J Roberts was booked to travel to Kalgoorlie.

[D]

I actually had some more questions about that ticket to Kalgoorlie. It was paid for in cash at East Perth train station on 13 July 2007. This was the same day Shantelle and Tony were in Busselton selling her car and sending power of attorney documents to Tony's brother. There's no evidence Simon Cadwell was in East Perth either. I put this to police, but they say, given the ticket was purchased under the same name and the boarding time was about the same too, it's still relevant. A person believed to be Tony ordered a pizza in Kings park on the evening of July 15th. How were you able to confirm that that person was Tony?

[B]

So the pizza driver was interviewed who delivered the pizza, and of course that was a period of time later that they were interviewed, but that individual identified someone that they believed to be Tony as the person that they Delivered the

[D]

pizza to retired Detective Greg Balfour, who conducted the Omega investigation into the disappearance, recently gave an interview where he said a grid search could have been done of the area Tony was last seen in, with the theory that bodies could be buried there. I'm just going to jump in quickly here. I did reach out to Greg Balfour also, many months ago, but he declined to be part of the podcast. He did this interview with a local Perth paper after the podcast started rolling out. Can you explain the rationale behind that and why that grid search wasn't done?

[B]

I can't explain the rationale as to the final decision in relation to whether the search was done. Obviously, Tony was believed to be up in Kings park where a pizza was ordered. But then phone records show that the phone traveled after that time, being that it moved around the next morning.

[D]

Police identified, like you say, a male caught a bus to Northcliffe at the time of the disappearance. What have you been able to find out about their movements after they arrived in Northcliffe?

[B]

There's been nothing to show the movements of the individual. Obviously, with the passage of time between the investigation and this information being established, things like CCTV and witness accounts were unable to verify who this person was or the fact that the person travelled the full distance. Yeah. So unable to establish any movements or to confirm who the person was.

[D]

So you haven't been able to confirm that someone did actually get off in Northcliff off that bus?

[B]

As far as I'm aware, the travel was booked. Someone did board the bus for the travel and I'm just saying I don't know if it's went the full way and it may be that they have travelled the full distance.

[D]

Did police ever uncover any links between the four and the Northcliffe area?

[B]

From what I've reviewed, I couldn't establish any.

[D]

I feel like I've got to reiterate at this point that the police I'm sitting down with aren't the ones who were doing the initial investigating or the review for the inquest, the Omega investigation, that was retired Detective Greg Balfour. So they aren't able to answer all my questions. I think one of the most confusing things about this case is the question of how they were moving around in the days after their disappearance, after Chantal and Tony both sold her car and his ute. What theories do you have around that of how they were getting around?

[A]

So police were unable to establish how they were getting around post selling the vehicles in July 2007. Around that time, there would have been no records of who boards a transperth bus or utilising taxi services. However, these were avenues that were explored by the investigation team.

[D]

There was this call the inquest referred to, where Carolyn French, the last person to see Chantelle, who bought her last dogs, received a call around the time of the disappearance. The call was from a woman who sounded angry and wanted to know if she knew Shantelle. Detective Sergeant Spivey says police never found out who that person was. By the time this was traced, the telco no longer had the phone records. What about phone calls made to Tony or Shantelle? Were you able to look into those?

[A]

Yes, we were. The phone calls to Tony Poppich were from his family members and in terms of Chantelle and the landline were from Carolyn French. In regards to the puppy purchase, there was some calls identified from a company which was linked to an express travel, which initially created a false lead for investigators. However, that was linked back to Carolyn French calling from her workplace again about the puppies.

[D]

So it kind of indicates that they weren't being contacted or there weren't sort of other people contacting them around the time of the disappearance. Does that indicate that there was maybe no one else involved and that they

[A]

were kind of acting alone in some circumstances? Yes, it would. However, given the lifestyle they were living, which was quite isolated, it may not be out of the ordinary.

[D]

So police managed to speak to a number of Simon Cadwell, Gary Felton's followers. What did they tell police about who he was and their interactions with him?

[A]

So they told police that Simon or Gary Felton was initially planning a mass suicide for him and and the group. However, after some back and forth communication, he shied away from that and they basically spoke to police about his spiritual beliefs, which was beneficial to the investigation and helped give police an insight to what the group may have been thinking.

[D]

It seems that he shied away from that after his follower said that if he did that, it would be tantamount to murdering Leila, his daughter. How likely is it that he still carried out those plans and perhaps just didn't tell his followers? That wasn't as open with them after they said that to him.

[A]

So that definitely is a possibility and did form part of the investigation. Unfortunately, as we still haven't been able to locate them, we haven't been able to prove that that did occur.

[D]

What inquiries did police make into Simon's state of mind around the disappearance?

[A]

So police obtained medical records and there was no clinical records supporting any mental health issues with him. However, police did speak to a number of witnesses who confirmed that in the lead up to the disappearance, Simon was increasingly agitated. Withdrawn. Speaking of electromagnetic interference with the Nanna property, which is concerning type of behaviour, other witnesses described Chantelle as being more withdrawn as well and Gary acting bizarrely.

[D]

Do you think it's likely he was depressed around that time?

[A]

There's a possibility he was. You know, certainly I'm unsure of what he told his doctor in order to get the prescription medication, but other witnesses have described him as withdrawn. So there is a good chance he

[D]

probably was depressed, considering police were alerted to Gary Felton's real identity as well as the the fact he ran a cult in 2004. How soon after the disappearance did police start looking into his background and confirming his identity?

[A]

So police became aware that Gary Felton was using false identity during the initial investigation in late 2007. From there, that sparked a whole lot of inquiries both internationally and nationally to, you know, lead the investigation to a different. To a certain point.

[D]

Right. But it wasn't until 2009 that you were able to find Simon Cadwell, the real Simon Cadwell.

[A]

Yes.

[D]

Something I really wanted to understand is what police knew about possible illicit drug use. Given the number of people I've heard from about various members of the four partaking. Did police find evidence of drug use within the group?

[A]

No, we didn't. So that was a theory that was explored and there was no evidence to suggest illicit drug use.

[D]

People I've spoken to have said that Gary Felton was a frequent user of LSD when they knew him and another person told us about Chantelle buying large quantities of lsd. Is that something police are aware of?

[A]

So, as I said before, police made a number of inquiries into illicit drug use. However, that was. We did not find any evidence to suggest that was a factor in their disappearance.

[D]

When did police conduct a line search in Nanop?

[B]

So a line search or a search was conducted and There were between 60 to 70 staff involved in that. Generally, a search originates from what you would call the last known position of someone. And in this instance it's difficult to establish a last known position, which makes searching difficult because you don't really have a starting point bearing that in mind. One was conducted from their residence. Also during the search, I can say that water police were utilised to search dams that were on the property. There was a total of five dams that were searched by the water police.

[D]

And was anything found during that search of significance?

[B]

Nothing was located in relation to the investigation.

[D]

Would you consider using drone technology to conduct another search of the bushland surrounding the Blue farmhouse.

[B]

At this stage, no search is planned, but saying that, of course, everything would be based on information that is provided. Nothing's off the table.

[D]

The main reason I wanted to speak to WA police was to find out whether police will do a new search of the Northcliffe bushland where those prisoners found clothing and that smell of death. Detective Sergeant Spivey is actually the officer chantelle's uncle, Barry McIntosh, was speaking to about this. The specific words of that email written to Barry in October 2025 were, quote, police are currently reviewing the information and conducting further inquiries to determine the exact LOC location identified by prison staff. It is proposed a further search will take place. However, time will be needed to appropriately prepare and ensure the correct area is searched, end quote. When I ask about this, Detective Sergeant Spivey says the police did actually go back to the area in November 2025 with the prison officer who oversaw those track works. That visit confirmed what Barry McIntosh has been saying all along. When WA Police visited the Northcliffe bushland in 2015, they were in the wrong place. The coordinates they were given for that search were from one of the original police officers who attended the location in 2007. He says the exact coordinates of that 2007 visit were never recorded, so the officer was just going off his memory. But if the officer's memory was correct, this means when police said they visited the area and found a T shirt that looked like it had been there for years, that was a different item of clothing to what the prisoners saw. And when they said they couldn't smell anything, well, that's because they were nowhere near the spot where the prisoners picked up that smell of death. When Barry McIntosh and Peter Greaves conducted their search in 2024, they brought a team of cadaver dogs with them. And a number of those dogs picked up a scent in the ground. What would that indicate to you?

[B]

I couldn't comment on the cadaver dogs and their ability to detect scents. I don't know enough of the science of the dogs. I understand that they are a tool that are used to indicate, but, yeah, I can't comment on the time since the disappearance and the abilities of the dogs.

[D]

Would you consider multiple cadaver dogs giving an indication that they found a scent of human remains? New evidence worth investigating?

[A]

It depends on that location. There's a number of variables that we have to assess with the use of the cadaver dogs. We would have to seek the expertise of our forensic division and, yeah, assess the specific location of where the dogs

[B]

were deployed without any more specific location or information as to where a search could isolate or commence. It's a bit difficult to comment on on what the dogs had picked up.

[D]

Have you spoken to the the team whose dogs picked up the scent?

[B]

The team's?

[D]

No, I actually took a map with me of the area Barry and Peter think needs searching and I followed up with Detective Sergeant Spivey after that interview because this seems important. He said the police wouldn't do their own search of the area Barry and Peter went through in 2024 because Barry and Peter have already looked there and they wouldn't search the new area Barry and Peter have identified based on the cadaver dogs because they say it's irrelevant as it's not the spot the prison officer identified. I've actually spoken to the man from Human Remains Detection Dogs of Western Australia who coordinated the 2024 search to understand how significant or not it is that the dogs picked up a scent. And he said all the dogs there indicated assent. As he put it, they don't react to meat pies and they don't react to dead roos, they only react to dead bodies. So he thinks it's pretty significant. Barry McIntosh, Chantelle's uncle and retired Victorian copper with 35 years largely in major crime investigations, remembers it as pretty significant, too.

[C]

One of the cadaver dogs went crazy

[D]

at a particular spot in the last few days. In light of where things have fallen with police, Barry has told me he's going to do another final search.

[C]

I estimate the search cost at $10,000. Once I've knocked that out, I pretty much done everything I can do.

[D]

The search is planned to happen in late 2026, depending on whether Barry can crowdfund the money needed in that time. You might recall their previous search only got off the ground because Peter Greaves and Barry sunk their own cash into it. Barry started investigating his niece's disappearance during COVID and he's not super impressed with how things were handled.

[C]

I think the investigation by the police in Western Australia was not thorough and they jumped to conclusions a bit too much. I found a lot of things that were missed. Primarily, they didn't interview the prisoners or the prison officer at all in both investigations. So I put one email and one phone call from the other side of the country to speak to the prison officer and got the correct coordinates of the where the prisoners were.

[D]

And from that information and what you read in the police investigation, where do you think they might be? Chantelle and Leela? Simon and Tony?

[C]

I'm working on the assumption that they're at North Cliff buried somewhere on that track.

[D]

I can't help thinking what happens if this new final search comes back without answers just like the last one?

[C]

It was horrendously difficult just to I explained to Kath and Jim that we fail,

[D]

But also what if it does unearth answers because that'll just be another version of heartbreak, some closure, the peace of knowing but the grief of letting go of any last hope. This has been a bonus episode of Exception the Nan up four. I'm host Dominique Bayans. If you can keep adding to this picture, particularly if you can shed more light on who they were, their travel movements or last contacts, please get in touch. This episode wouldn't have been possible without Megan Woods, Blythe Moore, Pia Wersu, Kiana Norton and has been edited by Grant Walter. You've been listening to an ABC podcast.

[B]

Discover more great ABC podcasts, live radio

[D]

and exclusives on the ABC Listen.

[B]

Apparently.